Benotto TT

Maybe Giacinto Benotto would let a little tear form at the corner of his eye, were he to view one of his time trial bikes in such immaculate condition. This TT is a member of the collection of Gregory Softley and is one of the first times it has seen light of day since the 1986 Long Beach trade show.

As Gregory tells us, this curvy Italian was specifically ordered by Campagnolo USA to showcase the second generation, Delta-equipped C-Record gruppo. Didn’t do a bad job, actually. To a Campy aficionado, it’s a bit like dripping a string of Cartier diamonds around the neck of Elisabetta Canalis. The owner of Anaheim’s Mike’s Bikes purchased it from the Benotto stand at the show, wrapped it in a blanket and it remained under wraps until this photo shoot. Those are the original stickers on the wheel discs covers, still intact; the tubbys have never even been inflated.

Big thanks to Gregory Softley. Have a look at his flickr stream, it features other bikes in his collection, including Merckx, Colnagos, a Wilier Trestina and a Chesini, among others. I’d also like to tank Guido from the fantastic Dutch blog, Italiaanse Racefietsen. It’s in Dutch, but Guido is compiling a comprehensive collection of Italian racing bicycles, head over and have a look.